Casi Callaway, former Mobile Baykeeper, has served as the city’s chief resilience officer since 2021. She is the first person to hold the job, and Mobile is the first city in the state to implement a resilience officer, she says.

The city’s resilience department works to build sustainable solutions into everyday city services. The hope, she says, is to build resiliency into daily things, so that when a major event, like a hurricane, happens, the city is prepared and can bounce back.

Here, Callaway discusses how the city is working toward expanding recycling services, and how it is preparing to adapt to a changing climate and rising sea levels.

Questions and answers have been condensed and edited for clarity.

What are some of the city’s sustainability goals? How is the city working to become more sustainable?